How common do newborns have a cleft lip or palate?

About 1:1000 babies: It depends on the ethnic group, the family and pregnancy history, etc. Some asian groups have as high as 1 in 250 births with cleft, caucasians about 1 in 1000, and black africans about 1 in 1200 births.

Frequently: Cleft lip and/or cleft palate is the most common birth defect, about 1/600 live births. Some are isolated and some are associated with syndromes, so genetic testing is warranted. A cleft palate team may consist of an ENT doctor, speech/language pathologist, feeding specialist, geneticist, developmental pediatrician, plastic surgeon, dentist and medical social worker.